UCSD: Blood Pressure Measuring Device

2023: Device Announcement

In mid-June 2023, engineers at the University of California, San Diego, unveiled a cuffless blood pressure meter. The device is a clip that attaches to the smartphone camera and flash. The user presses the finger against the clamp, and the system can determine the amount of blood passing through the finger and the force of pressure exerted by the finger on the clamp. The smartphone app then uses algorithms to interpret this data and assess blood pressure. As of June 16, 2023, the cost of the clip is only $0.8, allowing people in low-resource areas to control their blood pressure. In mass production, the clip could cost as little as $0.1, the researchers say.

One of the features of the technology is that it does not need to be calibrated. Other developed cuffless blood pressure monitoring systems, such as smartwatches, often need to be calibrated against data. However, the developed clipsator is ready to work from the very beginning.

UCSD: Blood Pressure Measuring Device

A 3D printed clip is placed on the phone's camera in the flash area. The spring inside the clip allows the user to exert various pressures on it. A small hole in the clip functions as an obscura camera, and the camera renders a red dot when the user presses his fingers against it. The size of the point is proportional to the pressure exerted on the clamp, and the brightness of the point is proportional to the amount of blood entering the tip of the finger. The system uses an algorithm to combine these measurements into a blood pressure score.

According to Medgadget, measuring blood pressure is critical to ensuring good health throughout life. However, for those who live far from a medical clinic or do not have access to reliable diagnostic techniques, tracking blood pressure is haphazard. The development of low-cost solutions is extremely important for such patients. The researchers have achieved just that, and the cost of individual devices can be only a few cents.^[1]

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